Margin Notes

Welcome to Margin Notes, the place where I give readers an inside look into how the stories here at The Lost & Found Story Box are found, approached, researched and written.

I talk about my writing process, a collection of techniques and practices I’ve honed over more than four decades as a working writer, how they work, what happens when they don’t and how you can use them in your own writing, as well.

I get into the weeds of how each story is researched and the challenges I come across.

I share bits and pieces of each true story that didn’t make it into the finished piece but are infinitely interesting or insightful, at least to me and hopefully to you!

And, since each story I share here is different, you can expect each Margin Notes to be a little different, as well. You might find a conspiracy theory, a barely-there relevance to modern life or an outright adventure down a rabbit hole I came across in my research.

Margin Notes is a special feature available to Paid Subscribers, and I’d love to have you join that growing list of supporters without whom this newsletter would be unsustainable! Thanks!


What readers have to say about Margin Notes

  • As a fellow researcher, I thoroughly enjoyed a peek into your process. ~ JK

  • The fact that you have broken down this whole research process for us really is a glimpse for everyone of what the whole research/writing process is all about. ~ PC


Margin Notes: Four Bullets at Baler Bay

·
December 2, 2025
Margin Notes: Four Bullets at Baler Bay

| Margin Notes| Start from the Beginning|

Margin Notes: When Americans sought comfort in Spiritualism

·
November 4, 2025
Margin Notes: When Americans sought comfort in Spiritualism

| Margin Notes| Start from the Beginning| ← Previous Chapter | Fiction from History →|

Margin Notes: Rose Hayward and the Cholera Ship

·
October 14, 2025
Margin Notes: Rose Hayward and the Cholera Ship

| Margin Notes | Start from the Beginning|

Margin Notes: Don't Poke the Rhino

·
September 9, 2025
Margin Notes: Don't Poke the Rhino

| Margin Notes | From the Beginning →| ← Previous Chapter |

Margin Notes: The Strange Adventures of Captain Cook

·
August 19, 2025
Margin Notes: The Strange Adventures of Captain Cook

| Margin Notes| Start from the Beginning |

Margin Notes: Death at 816 Whitcomb Road

·
August 5, 2025
Margin Notes: Death at 816 Whitcomb Road

| Margin Notes| Start from the Beginning|

Margin Notes: The Epic Canoe Journey of George W. Gardner

·
May 29, 2025
Margin Notes: The Epic Canoe Journey of George W. Gardner

| Margin Notes | Start from the Beginning| Bonus Content →|